I am apparently all over the map, style wise. I really looked at my top lists the other day and was struck by the fact that I seem to have at least 2 separate styles. Weird and funky. here, I’ve grouped them in similar piles:

I’m still working on Cosmo. I don’t want to lose him because he feels so beautiful to me but can’t think of a combo that sings like Rufus’. Cosmo Henry Graham was it for the longest time, an still is, for the most part. I really dig Cosmo George ____ but think Cosmo _____ George flows better. I’ve had Cosmo Willem George too, which pleases me but no one else, it seems. So I went thinking again, because I *really* like Cosmo _____ George; here’s the few that I’ve come up with:

Cosmo Rohan George – That Rohan like Rowan, not Ro-han, like LOTR, although I could live with that if he gets it.This combo’s blue green yellow to me. Blue for Cosmo, Green for Rohan and yellow for George.

Cosmo Maxfield George – Maxfield again for Parrish, my favorite artist of all time. I really dig this one but think the flow’s a bit off. Am I crazy? blue, green yellow here. Maxfield’s a pretty subdued green.

Cosmo Alasdair George – Flow’s spot on and I really like Alasdair. Not as much as Maxfield but almost. Alasdair’s silver. Blue, silver, yellow. Kind of pretty but a bit bright.

Cosmo Gavriil George – I adore Gavriil, he was one of my G. Uncles. I think I’ve mentioned Gavriil before. It’s pronounced: gah-vree-EEL I slur it a bit, so it comes out more like gah-vrEEL, but that’s how I always heard it as a kid, I don’t think the family’d freak too badly. And I think he’s kind of funky. I like Gavriil, about as much as Maxfield, both in looks and sound. Blue, copper, yellow. Gavriil’s a pretty coppery orange and meshes well between the other two.

I’ve been thinking, I love Cosmo and Cleo. So what else is like them, vibe wise. So, trolling though my lists, here;s what I’ve come up with, both boy & girl. In the interest of “I like them but want something different” here they are:

My boys. I love them dearly. There are days I think I was really meant to be a mother of just boys. I am not a girly girl and I have one. It can be trying at times. 😀

So I’ve really been stewing over boys names, These are the ones that not only have approval, he wants them near the top. But he can’t tell me which one he likes best, so I want some honest opinions on these 5 that are absolutely going to be ordered 1-5.

Barnaby Edward Rex – Barnaby is so happy! I actually like Barney but my lazy tongue will most likely make him Barns/Barnes more often. There’s also the Bex possibility, should he end up as jazzy as his big brother Simon. I adore Rex but think the world’s not ready for him upfront, so here he resides next to Edward for my Uncle.

Rufus Wilder John – Rufus is just a love of his. He can definitely see himself calling for Rufus, playing with Rufus, tucking Rufus in. Wilder is His Aunt’s surname. His Pop’s sister. It’s the closest we can get to honoring his Pop’s side of the family (His Pop was beyond awful to him and caused a lot of problems that took a long time to work through & past). So Wilder it is. Stan’s sister was Agatha, and I love that enough to put on the girls list, at least as a wildcard, but her surname pleases me on a boy immensely. And John is for Him.

Cosmo Henry Dashiell – Cosmo was my Great Granddad. What a cool guy he was too. I love Cosmo’s open, airy sound and the way he looks. I do not care if anyone links it to Kramer, the mag, the drink or the word Cosmopolitan, Cosmo is definitely staying. If I’d thought a bit more when I was pregnant with the boys, one of them would be Cosmo, probably Leo. I love Cosmo. Henry was his Grandpop and Dashiell just feels snazzy with them both, doesn’t he?

Cassius Barnaby Rex – Cassius strikes him as a strong and He-man sort of name. Most of the -us names give me that He man feel (Ignatius notwithstanding) so I concur and let him be. Barnaby’s my fun sounding name. I adore him. If I could make Rufus Barnaby Edward work for him, I’d be happy. Unfortunately he thinks Rufus Barnaby is a bit OTT. I think it is too, but it would be a solution to our minor dilemma here. I like Cash too, as a nickname, at least once n a while.

Alasdair Barnaby George – Alasdair charms me to my toes. He’s warm, friendly (not as friendly as Barnaby, but that’s why he’s the middle!) and charming. And sounds awesome with the three syllable Mac surname. Barnaby, well, I think I’ve gone into enough detail about him, I don’t want to bore anyone. 🙂 George is one of my favorite classics, really, I swear. It reminds me of St. George, who sat on my Pop’s dresser for decades and is now on mine. So, George also reminds me of my Pop. Hence his inclusion here.

So now you’ve seen why they’re on my list, what do you think. How should they be numbered? Which would you put in first, and why? And most importantly, what do you think? Am I completely crazy? 😉

I am going crazy over girls names. With boys, I’m much pickier and it’s easier to figure out what I really like vs. what I simply enjoy. With boys, it’s practically a three way tie between Cosmo, Rufus & Barnaby and that’s about it. Everything else on the list pales by comparison. So it’ll be easy to decide on a boys name if we have one.

But a girl? I’m going crazy, literally.

There’s the “normals”: Cecily, Beatrix & Clementine and the oddballs: Jemima, Zelda & Winifred. I love all six of them and couldn’t decide which one I’d actually use if you paid me to decide. I could have sextuplets and happily use them all. Sadly, it’s probably just one and I have to choose. I love all their combos, really. Clementine’s probably been on the list longest of the normals, She went on the list back in ’95. Zelda’s been on the list of oddballs since ’73, since that’s when I first started keeping lists. She was on the mental list in ’69! I wanted to name my sister Zelda but Mom was having none of it. Cecily & Winifred are the newest; Winifred 5 years on, Cecily, two on. Beatrix & Jemima have probably been on the list for about 8 years now.

When I was deciding on Josephine’s name, I brought my notebooks of names in my bag and after she was born, I dug through the lists I had at the time, assembled what appealed in several instances and tried them out on her little self when she was in the room (I only sent her back to the nursery once, that first night, so I could sleep. Otherwise she was in my room no-stop so I had plenty of time to try them all out. I finally found something that not only made me sing, but seemed to suit her. I can’t explain how that huge name seemed to suit the little baby she was then, it just did.

How did you decide on your children(s) names? What were the deciding factors for you, How did you narrow it down? How do I do so? Goddess knows, I’d happily name a girl all of these, ridiculous as it sounds but I know I can’t. So, how do I go about choosing? Any hints? Pointers? Words of advice? Anything? Help!

We’ve been arguing the top 3 boys for what seems like days. I really want Cosmo Valentin George (or maybe Cosmo George Valentin). He’d rather Barnaby Edward Rex, Rufus, where we’re still figuring out middles or Remus Edward Xavier.
Cosmo’s got family significance for me, as do Valentin & George. Barnaby’s just a love as is Remus. But both middles honor; one straighforward, one in a roundabout manner that would make my Mother proud. With this last one I’d much rather go the family route that I’ve used before, whereas he’d rather break the mold and just go nuts with this last one. I think it’s as simple as he didn’t really get a whole lot of say with Leo or Simon. he was on the other side of the world when they were born and pretty much all he’d said was Nicolas or James (IIRC, anyway) and neither one have either in their names. Now, he loves their names and doesn’t say anything about being thwarted like that but it may be in the back of his head.

I’ve been seeing Cosmo pop up in other people’s lists recently, three times in the last two weeks alone. Right here is the most recent: Chanel’s List

And it’s not mine, I swear, here: Mine. Cosmo’s not even on my list because while he was there, he got nothing but awful comments. I love him and am keeping him on the list no matter what anyone else says. Only he’s got the right to really bump him off the list. Or me. But you folks can at least say which you’d prefer overall, up front, and why or why not. I do try to take into accout popualr opinion even if it doesn’t seem that way. 😀

Just a quick word about nicknames since I’ve turned into a proliferate nicknamer with Josephine in the house! Cosmo would probably get Coz about as often as he’d get Cosmo in full. Barnaby would get Barney, Bex or simply B while Remus would most likely be Remy or Rex, for his initals at least once in awhile! Rufus is the only one on the list at the moment without an obvious nickname. I rather like that, it’s more like Leo & Simon, who have nicknames but none really from their names.